VOL.

III I NOV 26, 2018

MISTER’S NOTES
THE
BOSS
Hello Bengaluru,
I cannot express how happy I am to walk out
on to the pitch at the Fortress after close to
two months of being on the road. We have
missed our home and have sorely missed all
you wonderful people who make this place
home. But we’re finally back and are
delighted, to say the least.
Today we take on Delhi Dynamos and I would
like to extend a warm Bengaluru welcome to
Josep Gombau and his staff. Delhi might not
have had things going their way this season
so far, but that makes us even more cautious
of how we approach this game. FC Pune
City’s win over Jamshedpur last week meant
Delhi are the only team without a win yet,
and I expect them to do everything to
change that.
We come into this game on the back of a
fantastic performance in Goa. To win four
consecutive games away from home takes
special character and I’m proud of the way
this team has made our hard work count. The
last time I spoke to you about how everyone
on this team is working equally hard so that
when their time comes, they are in the best
shape to make a difference and contribute to
the team’s fight. That attribute came to
fore, again
In Goa, we were missing Erik and Miku – two
very key players to the side. But to see how
Chencho and Xisco stepped in and stepped up
is what this team is all about. Both of them
had a fantastic game, working hard to play
the way we had planned. The boys coming off
the bench too played their part to perfection
and we deservedly walked away with all
the points.
Today marks a very special milestone for
Sunil, who plays his 150th game for the club.
To spend six seasons at one club and
consistently perform like he has been takes
something special. It’s nice that this
occasion takes place at the Fortress and I’m
sure all of you will give him the reception
he deserves.
I know it’s a Monday and it might be difficult
to turn up at the Fortress, but all of us would
love to see a culture where the day of the
week shouldn’t decide how packed the
Fortress is or not. We get a minimum of nine
and a maximum of 11 home games in the
League season and we want every single one
of those games to be packed and loud, to
give us the best possible chance at success.
We’re hoping our joy at returning home after
a long gap will spur a good performance.
Enjoy the game!
Love,
Carles Cuadrat
PREVIEW
fter a flawless show on the road
where they picked up 12 points from
four games, Bengaluru FC finally
return to home comforts when they host
bottom-placed Delhi Dynamos at the
Kanteerava Stadium, in Bengaluru, on
Monday. In what was a tough phase of
consecutive away fixtures, Carles Cuadrat’s
Blues turned up with fantastic performances
on all parts of the pitch and now remain the
only unbeaten team in the League
this season.
But while a win over a struggling Delhi could
send Bengaluru three points clear of FC Goa
in the battle for pole position, Cuadrat
believes the Blues are up against a side who
are very close to turning a corner. “Delhi are
the only team to yet register a win and that’s
what makes them a dangerous opposition.
They will be trying harder than ever when
they come up against us, and we need to
enter this game by turning a blind eye to
where both teams stand on the points table.
What will encourage us is the fact that we
are returning to play at home after a gap
that almost stretched to two months. It’s
been tough but we’ve done well and now
we’re excited to play in front of our support-
ers,” said Cuadrat, on the eve of the game.
Cuadrat, who missed midfielder Erik
Paartalu (toe) and striker Miku (ankle) in the
win over FC Goa, has a bag of mixed fortune
with regards to the return of the two key
players. While Paartalu has resumed
training, Miku continues to recuperate from
his injury. “Erik has begun training with us
and we will assess if he can be part of our
plans against Delhi. Miku is a certain miss,”
informed Cuadrat. The Blues will also be
without playmaker Dimas Delgado who is
serving a one-game suspension for his
sending off against Goa last week.
The injuries meant Bhutanese striker
Chencho Gyeltshen was handed his first
Bengaluru start while Xisco Hernandez
slotted in at midfield. It will be interesting to
see how Cuadrat manages the second
vacant slot in the middle owing to
Delgado’s absence.
Delhi have been finding the back of the net
only to concede late in games, much to the
anguish of coach Josep Gombau. They went
ahead twice against FC Goa only to go down
to an Edu Bedia winner in the 89th minute.
Even against Jamshedpur, they showed fight
to come back from a goal down and score
two before a Tiri finish saw them share
points with Miners.
Bengaluru meanwhile, have been clinical in
attack and stingy in defence, conceding the
least number of goals (five) this season. New
signing Albert Serran has wasted no time in
forging a formidable partnership with
Juanan Gonzalez in the centre of defence,
while Gurpreet Singh Sandhu has been
reassuring in goal.
BLUES
SQUAD

1 I GURPREET SINGH SANDHU

2 I RAHUL BHEKE
3 I ALBERT SERRAN
4 I SAIRUATKIMA
5 I JUAN GONZALEZ
6 I ERIK PAARTALU
7 I MIKU
8 I KEAN LEWIS
10 I HARMANJOT KHABRA
11 I SUNIL CHHETRI
13 I RINO ANTO
14 I DIMAS DELGADO
16 I MYRON MENDES
17 I BOITHANG HAOKIP
18 I SEMBOI HAOKIP
19 I XISCO HERNANDEZ
21 I UDANTA SINGH
22 I NISHU KUMAR
23 I SORAM POIREI
26 I ASHEER AKHTAR
27 I CHENCHO GYELTSHEN
32 I ADITYA PATRA
33 I GURSIMRAT SINGH
35 I AJAY CHHETRI
36 I ALTAMASH SAYED

Head Coach
CARLES CUADRAT

Assistant Coach
GERARD ZARAGOZA
 SQUAD

ALBINO GOMES I 1
MOHAMMAD DHOT I 3
BIKRAMJIT SINGH I 6
LALLIANZUALA CHHANGTE I 7
MARCOS TEBAR I 8
RENE MIHELIC I 10
ADRIA CARMONA I 11
FRANCISCO DORRONSORO I 13
DANIEL LALHLIMPUIA I 14
SHUBHAM SARANGI I 15
VINIT RAI I 16
PRADEEP MOHANRAJ I 17
SIAM HANGHAL I 18
ROMEO FERNANDES I 19
PRITAM KOTAL I 20
NARAYAN DAS I 21
NANDHAKUMAR SEKAR I 22
MARTI CRESPI I 24
SHAYAN ROY I 25
RANA GHARAMI I 26
AMIT TUDU I 33
JAYANANDA MOIRANGTHEM I 39
SEIMINMANG MANCHONG I 41
GIANNI ZUIVERLOON I 51
ANDRIJA KALUDJEROVIC I 99

Head Coach
JOSEP GOMBAU

Assistant Coach
MRIDUL BANERJEE

DYNAMOS
 STANDINGS
NEXT IN LINE

HARMANJOT RENE
KHABRA MIHELIC

MIDFIELD DUEL
Slovenian Mihelic has been known for his eye to play a pass
and with Dimas out and Eric doubtful, it will be Harmanjot
Khabra's turn to make sure his opposite number is marked
throughout the game. While Khabra has managed to form a
solid partnership with the Eric and Dimas, tonight he will lead
the charge alongside Xisco in the Bengaluru midfield. With
Delhi’s pace on the flanks well documented, the Blues’ number
10 will do well to ensure that Mihelic is not allowed too much
space if afforded a counter attack.

SUNIL PRITAM
CHHETRI KOTAL

ATTACK v DEFENCE
The skipper plays his 150th game for the Blues tonight, and he
will have his work cut out as his teammate from the Indian
national side looks to thwart away his attempts to breach the
Delhi backline. Playing on the left of a 4-3-3, Kotal will be the
first of Chhetri’s challenges before he is allowed a shot on
target. With the Delhi man’s ability to overlap his winger and
help in attack, Chhetri will also have to track back well to keep
the Blues’ left flank secure.
STANDINGS
P W L D GD PTS

1 8 5 2 1 8 16

2 6 5 0 1 7 16

3 9 3 1 5 6 14

4 7 4 1 2 4 14

FIXTURES
BEN BEN
NOV 30 I 7.30 PM DEC 5 I 7.30 PM

BEN BEN
DEC 9 I 7.30 PM DEC 13 I 7.30 PM
 THE
MILESTONE
MAN
Sometimes you wished it was all a façade, a garb or the perfect PR stunt.
Sunil Chhetri’s absolute disinterest in celebrating a milestone can wear you
down, to the point where you start wondering whether you’ve been doing
happiness wrong all these years.

The underplayed emotions aren’t just for the cameras and press
conferences, they carry on to the dressing room and then to the confines of
his home. There isn’t the slightest of change the next morning. In fact, even
the half smile he flashed the day before, vanishes completely.

But in all your expecting him to do justice to the occasion and the
subsequent disappointment, what you miss is the undying gratitude of a man
who says he’s blessed to be able to put his body through the wringer, game
after game. One hundred and fifty times for Bengaluru FC, to be precise.

“I’m terrible at all these things. People around me keep throwing reminders
and I make it worse by doing a really bad job of faking a mild degree of
excitement. The truth is, I enjoy training and playing so much, that I’m not
sure how these numbers and landmarks matter. When I’m done playing
professionally – which is in another eight years – I’ll sit down and probably
give these moments the value they actually deserve,” he says, making no
effort to suggest that the time frame he’s put on retirement was a joke.

#CHHETRI150
For all the hoopla surrounding his
signing for Bengaluru in 2013,
Chhetri’s first appearance for the club
was one he made coming off the bench
against Mohun Bagan at the Bangalore
Football Stadium. “I’ve never really
taken anything for granted in my
career, but that moment was an
important reminder, in case I ever
slipped along the way,” he recalls.
Predictably, there’s been no slipping for
six seasons and the count doesn’t look
like halting soon.
As harsh as it may sound, Chhetri can
be accused of footballing infidelity –
how else do you nicely term the fact
that he’s played for ten different clubs?
But then Bengaluru FC came along,
and the heart wouldn’t want more.
#CHHETRI150
“Given how much I’ve wandered as a
footballer, I would laugh if you
suggested that I would be around at
Bengaluru for six years and turn out
for my 150th game when I signed in
2013. But sometimes in life and in
football, there’s a completely
unaccounted turn that you end up
taking and everything changes.
Bengaluru FC was that turn for me. I
did have a degree of attachment to
JCT, but what I feel for Bengaluru FC
is unmatched.”
He’s brazenly stated at numerous
interactions with the media,how the
last few seasons have been his best in
his career. It prompted us to ask him if
he’d ever wished that Bengaluru FC
would have taken come into existence
earlier than it did. “I’d be lying is now the last surviving member of the
blatantly if I said no. I have had this the first Bengaluru FC squad that was
thought on more than one occasion. unveiled on a July evening at the BFS.
“I’ve made a lot of great friends here,
many of whom I miss. But when you
put it like that, I feel really old! Six
“Given how much years in football is a very long time.”
I’ve wandered as a While most are measuring the
footballer, I would landmark with trophies and goals from
laugh if you suggested another planet, Chhetri’s take is
slightly different. “Across these six
that I would be around seasons and 150 games, I’ve had more
at Bengaluru for six success on the pitch than failures, but
more importantly, I’ve had more good
years and turn out for things happen to me in life than ever.
Bengaluru FC, for me, is so much more
my 150th game when I than what happens on the pitch and
signed in 2013.” that’s something you cannot search for.
It finds you.”

I’ve been at a fair number of clubs and

I’ve learnt from my time at every one of
them, but at Bengaluru FC, it’s been an
education. The club did really well in
bringing the coaches it did. Ashley,
Albert and now Carles – they’re all
teachers. And you don’t ever want to
miss school when they’re at the
blackboard. Also, I envy the boys at the
Academy. They’re starting out now and
look what they have access to! So yes, I
do get a little greedy in wishing what I
do, but I am also grateful that
Bengaluru FC happened to me at a
very crucial juncture in my career.”

One hundred and fifty caps has also

meant he’s lost a lot of good friends
and teammates along the way. Chhetri

#CHHETRI150
JOIN NOW!
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COLT FOCUS
BFC U18
Bengaluru FC U18s kicked off their
campaign in the 2018-19 season of the
Youth League with five successive wins and
are currently atop the Karnataka-Andhra
zone table with 15 points from six games.
The John Kenneth Raj-led side began with
a 4-2 win over FC Mangalore, before
beating Ozone FC 3-1 and Boca Juniors
Football School in the Vidyanagar Township
in their first three home games.
The Young Blues then made the travel to
Andhra Pradesh for the first time ever and
returned with a 4-0 win over Ananthapur
Sports Academy. A fifth successive win over
Boca Juniors Football School (6-1) in
Yelahanka was followed by a shock loss
away against FC Mangalore (1-2) a week
ago.
Bengaluru will now host Ananthapur
Sports Academy on December 3, and will
take on Ozone FC at the Bangalore Football
Stadium on December 10 and wins in both
these games will guarantee a place in the
Final phase of the competition.
Top Scorers
• Akashdeep Singh – 8 Goals
• LalrintluangaChawnglut – 3 Goals

BFC B
The Blue Colts who had kicked off their
competitive season with a Puttaiah
Memorial Cup win in the city participated in
back-to-back outstation trips when they
played in the Jammu and Kashmir
Invitational Cup in Srinagar and the
Governor’s Gold Cup in Pajlor, Sikkim.
While BFC B began with a big 7-0 win over
Lonestar Kashmir FC in the quarterfinal of
the J&K Invitational Cup, they fell 2-3 after
extra time to Real Kashmir in the semifinals.
A similar fate followed them in the
quarterfinals of the Governor’s Gold Cup in
Sikkim where they lost 3-4 to home side
Sikkim Aakraman FC after 120 minutes.
Naushad Moosa’s men recently kicked off
their campaign in the BDFA Super Division
League and have logged three wins in four
games. They began with a 2-0 win over
Bangalore Dream United, before going down
0-1 to MEG & Centre in a shock upset. The
youngsters bounced back though with a big
9-0 win over Students Union and followed it
up with a 3-0 victory over Kickstart FC.
COLT FOCUS
In these matches, Moosa has been able to
involve a host of first team players in Myron
Mendes, Asheer Akhtar, Altamash Sayed,
Gursimrat Singh Gill, Ajay Chhetri and
Sairuat Kima, who are getting those
valuable minutes on the field keeping them
in competitive mode. Considering the
hectic schedule, this gives CarlesCuadrat
good options with players who have been in
action regularly.
BFC Academy India Call-ups
• BekeyOram
(SAFF U15 Championships 2017 and AFC
U16 Championships 2018)
• Lalrokima
(SAFF U15 Championships 2017 and AFC
U16 Championships 2018)
• Manish Chaudhary
(AFC U16 Championships 2018)
• Fredy Chawnthangsanga
(SAFF U15 Championships 2018)
• Dipesh Chauhan
(SAFF U15 Championships 2018)
QUICK CHECK

FORM RUN
The Blues come into the game on the back of four straight away wins,
and are now the only remaining unbeaten team in the League. While
the results have gone Bengaluru’s way, the hosts are now faced with
injuries and suspensions as key players are out of action. With Miku
and Erik both missing out with injury, influential playmaker
Dimas Delgado was sent off in the win over Goa and he misses
tonight’s clash.

Nonetheless, Carles Cuadrat’s men will be motivated to be back in

familiar surrounds as they now play five more games in 18 days, four
of which will be at the Fortress. The Blues will once again bank on
their strong defensive performance having conceded the least amount
of goals in the league and having dropped points in the final minutes
their last home game, almost 50 days ago, they will be keen to get
back to winning ways.

D W W W W

The Lions from Delhi are still without a win as they come into this
clash with four draws and as many losses from eight games. In fact,
in their last five games, Josep Gombau’s men have managed to
collect only two points, while dropping five from winning positions in
their last two matches against Jamshedpur and Goa respectively.

While their form in front of goal has improved considerably, things at

the back aren't as steady as they would like it to be. Eight of the
thirteen goals Delhi have conceded have come in the final twenty
minutes, often undoing the good work ahead. And Gombau would like
his team to fix this sooner than later.

D L L D L